and mutual oaths of imprecation, accusations of unchastity, armed hostility, adjudication, gains obtained without fighting, usury, almsgiving, and other matters. Most of these verses were revealed on particular occasions well known from the books of hadith, Quranic commentary, jurisprudence, and military campaigns. Yet the Muslim community agrees that their rulings apply generally to people other than those particular individuals, and to other cases corresponding to theirs in every respect.

The same applies to hadiths. The hadith of ‘Ā’ishah is among those whose general application they agree upon. It is one of the concise, comprehensive sayings that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was granted and sent with. He said:

“Whoever stipulates a condition that is not in Allah’s Book, that condition is invalid, even if there are a hundred such conditions. Allah’s Book has greater right to be followed, and Allah’s condition is more binding.”

However, they disagree regarding permissible contracts, such as sales, leases, and marriage: does the hadith refer to someone who stipulates a condition that has not been established to contravene any rule of the revealed Law, or to someone who stipulates a condition known to contradict what Allah has prescribed? This is a matter of disagreement, because his words at the end of the hadith:

“Allah’s Book has greater right to be followed, and Allah’s condition is more binding,”

indicate that an invalid condition is one that contradicts this. His words:

“Whoever stipulates a condition that is not in Allah’s Book, that condition is invalid,”

may, however, be understood as referring to anything not sanctioned by the revealed Law.

The proponent of the first view says: whatever permissible matters Allah has not forbidden are among those He has authorized, and are therefore sanctioned by Allah’s Book. As for conditions in contracts intended for